The same month Roger Ross Williams premieres his new documentary Stamped from the Beginning at TIFF, his first feature of the year will arrive across the world. Set for a theatrical release on September 15 followed by a Prime Video global debut on September 22, Cassandro follows Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal), a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso who rises to international stardom, upending not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life. Based on a true story, the first trailer has now arrived for the Sundance selection.
Jose Solís said in his review, “Rather than reverting to a traditional biopic structure––i.e. a greatest hits (and losses) in someone’s life––Williams and co-screenwriter David Teague open almost in media res as we meet Saúl (Gael García Bernal), a wide-eyed young man who is head over heels in love with lucha libre. He spends his days crafting costumes to wrestle in and helping his mother Yocasta (a magnificent Perla de la Rosa) who does laundry and clothes-mending for locals. Unlike her namesake from Greek mythology, Yocasta dreams of nothing but a wonderful future for her adoring son, reassuring him he will make “a man very happy someday.” “
See the trailer and poster below for the film also starring Roberta Colindrez, Perla De La Rosa, Joaquín Cosío, and Raúl Castillo with special appearances from El Hijo del Santo and Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
